I cannot believe that Christmas is over and that Jennifer has gone home. It seems like we were in a whirlwind for the last 10 days.

Bill has won many battles with the creeping, seeping, leaking Evil Mr. Frost. It has been very hard work and uncomfortable down in the crawl space for Bill. He feels he's almost won the war. What a 'snap' that was! Everyone was caught off guard and many people had their pipes freeze, etc. We counted our blessings that we had not put up the siding! that would have been a nightmare to try and fix. Lessons learned by us: frost can creep in the tiniest of cracks, holes, you name it. The other blessing....no one lost power during the horrid -35!!

The cold was easing up when Jen arrived on the 22nd but it was still nose hair freezing weather (topping the charts at -25). On the 21st Jen began her journey to Deka and boarded the Greyhound in Vancouver in the late afternoon (around 5:45)...she phoned us at 9pm to say she was in Chilliwack!!! We knew we were in for a long haul; her arrival was supposed to be 1:30am, a time we thought we could handle quite easily and now we knew we would be lucky if she got in at 2:30. At Cache Creek she phoned and said that they would arrive at 100 Mile House at 2:45. Lord save us. So we bundled up at 2am and started the trek into town.

The roads were very icy so we needed to travel slower than usual. About 6 miles out of town we received a call from a very cold and tired Jen wondering where we were. We gave directions to the local Tim Horton's (thankfully just two doors down) and said we'd be about 10 minutes. We passed a few cars on the outskirts of town and made the comment that those parents were on time to pick up their children! Seems we weren't too far wrong. At 3am we slid into Tim's and picked up our extremely tired daughter. We got home and into bed around 4:15am. I think it was 1976 the last time I was up that late!

The next morning was a very late start but we were all happy to be together and planning Christmas Trees and dinners! It was darned cold when we went out to look for a tree but we were determined. We printed off our permission slip from the Forests site (just in case someone challenged us) and went into the hinterlands to find our tree. It took much less time than I thought it would and Jen's eyeballs didn't have a chance to freeze---her mascara suffered but that was it. We found the perfect tree (a lovely spruce around 7') and brought it home.

First it had to de-ice; it was covered in ice. We place it in the tree holder and put yards of plastic under that. It dripped for about 24 hours and we decorated it on the 23rd. It was/is beautiful! And the Moravian Star is a little worse for wear but still able to glow at the top. Must find a new one. Got the Cranberry Chutney done---that is such a good recipe!

On Christmas Eve Jen was my elf and wrapped all the presents for me as I mentioned that I might not have time to make the Paradise Pumpkin Pie if I had to wrap. There was also the Peas and Pear Salad...oh, my! I still had Jen's and Bill's to do but it was a great relief not to have to do them all. Normally I'm way ahead of the game and everything is done so that I can concentrate on food. Not this year. Evil Mr. Frost got in my way. All the presents were put under the tree and it looked even better.

Sandi had offered to make Sushi for Christmas Eve and I took her up on it. We had everyone over and had a great time! The Sushi was perfect; the dogs were frosty; the kids were sociable; the music was great; the snow was perfect; I'm pretty sure I had too much wine; everyone was happy. And to all a good night! The kids decided to leave their presents here and to open them on Christmas Day when they came over for supper.

After they left I still had presents to wrap and I usually wrote little poems or cute sayings....this time, "To: Jen" was all I could work up. Another year. Jen and Bill watched "The Snowman" while I did the wrapping. I was supposed to put together Les' Cinnamon Buns and forgot....

Christmas Day was presents, prepping turkeys, whipping up potatoes, simmering gravy, completing salads, wow! And Jen had a wonderful time in the snow. It had warmed up considerably and it was a joy to be outside. Everyone came over around 5pm and we opened presents, drank wine and ate an absolutely wonderful meal. Considering I don't have counters I was pretty chuffed at the dinner that I put together. And my Kitchen Aid hog was superb! We had crackers, wore hats, blew whistles, laughed, giggled, talked, ate and collapsed. Then there was the pie. It was long, tiring, exacting, magnificent day. And then they were gone.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day photos

The weather was going to turn on us on the day Jen was to leave (27th) so she decided to leave on Boxing Day. Now, if you ever travel Greyhound opt for the Flex ticket as there is no way in hell you can change a date unless you go into the depot. So, we had no choice but to drive into 100 Mile, change the ticket (to a flex one), and drive home; then, go back in to catch the 10:20pm bus!!!!!!!!!!!And on Boxing Day the snow started very lightly on our way in then it was blowing snow when we returned. Whiteouts are not fun; nor are windshield wipers that freeze every 20 minutes and leave about an inch for Bill to see out. Arrrgghh! We could not return that night in that weather. Let's say Jen was not a happy camper. Bill's suggestion was to go in on Saturday afternoon, take a motel and wait for the bus. That way, we didn't have to drive home which made Bill happy as his night vision is not the best especially if the snow is blowing, Jen was ensured that she would get to town and get on a bus! But we didn't count on Jen staying at the Open House til midnight and being in a very loving, up beat mood the next day. That was sarcasm.

We were invited to an Open House at our neighbours' on Boxing Day. They open their house to anyone and everyone; they have a wonderful spread and are the best hosts. I think almost everyone from Deka was there. Cheryl introduced me to so many people but I can't remember half of them; there were kids and teenagers, grandpas and grandmas; you name them they were there. It was great; but a little too much for Bill who had just driven from 100 Mile in a mini blizzard with no windshield wipers. So, we left early. Jen decided to stay even though she knew no one; I was glad as that would take her mind off not getting the bus. She had a blast. Jody and Sandi plus the kids were there so she knew them at least. And everyone wanted to make her feel welcome. It was the next morning that was tough. But, she wanted to go home so badly---she was worried there would be another snowfall and she would have to wait longer. We were determined to get her on a bus!

Going into town in the afternoon, getting a motel room, letting her spend time alone to nap, shower and brood was perfect. We walked around town looking for the second book in the Twilight series (nada), browsed through stores, picked up a Subway for Jen....all through thick, falling snow. It was a good decision to come to town early as it would have been miserable driving. And we stopped at the Greyhound depot to make sure the bus was running. Our thought was, if Jen didn't get on the 10:20 she would be in town for the 3:30am but the Greyhound people said that as the routes were busy they were putting on extra buses so if Jen wasn't on one bus there would be one right after it. Yay!!! We napped, showered, watched venomous TV and went to the depot in falling snow and waited and waited....we got her on the bus---she was so happy. And we just fell into bed. We knew her journey would be long and full of crankiness and no sleep but she was on her way home.

That was Christmas at Deka.

Leftover Turkey, Chutney....and a walk in the snow

So very long since I've had time to blog.

The war with the evil Mr. Frost has taken up our minds and time; Jen has arrived and we now have a Christmas tree. More to follow---we are planning a Sushi Night for Christmas Eve, full Turkey dinner for The Day and a party at the neighbour's on Boxing Day.

The weather is changing for warmer as we speak....let's hope so!

Merry Christmas to all our friends and family. We are very blessed to know who we know.

COLD This is unbelievable! The day the pictures were taken it was -23; last night it went down to -34!!! It does not help me at all when the locals say that it's the worst in 40 years. That does not help the frost coming in the house. No, nada, not on your life, it's a nightmare.

So saying-------it's quite beautiful. Sunny skies, no wind, white, white powder everywhere. Lovely. Now if we could just get back to the balmy weather of -15.

We are having problems in the crawl space. After we talk to the Inspectors I'll give the low down. Right now what the consequence is: frost coming up into the 4 corners, into the drywall!!! I noticed it when I was in the pantry sanding (again as Jody is far too particular)and thought...hmm, this should be dry at the bottom. Not good. It is awful for Bill as he takes it on his shoulders and is using that killer HINDSIGHT. It means more work when we have other things on the go.

But, Gary the neighbour is over tonight to help with some soldering of pipes for the faucet. Yay.

Shrimp in olive oil and butter with a splash of hot peppers and lots of garlic, with Japanese noodles. And probably lots of wine.

My pictures are sometimes so touched up that they load slow. Please be patient...it's so much fun to do.

It's been a long while since I've been on the blog! Christmas, snow, construction..all play a part in keeping me away.

Light snow is falling. I'm learning that flurries is what I would call light snow and light snow is "lots"; then we are getting "snow" tonight. According to Cheryl our neighbour that means fat snowflakes. Bill was out this morning doing the wood thing so that we are prepped for the -31 weather this weekend! Cheryl was walking her part bear dog and stopped to talk. She invited us to their annual Boxing Day celebration; all the locals are invited but she wanted to make sure we knew about it. Yay! Our first party at Deka. We are very lucky to have Gary and Cheryl as neighbours. They have lived here for many years and know everyone and are aware of everything going on; they have been extremely helpful in making us welcome. Their daughter Amber is Kayla's best friend. They also have a son Coltan who we have yet to meet; we only see him and his friends in their cars. Their house is all decorated with lights and critters. Our road of two families is quite well lit now.

Most of the houses are decorated from Deka to 100 Mile. They are the only light except for the snow when you are driving at night.

The nights have been brilliant with the clear skies and upcoming full moon. It's as if someone has their high beams on all night. You can see at least a block ahead of you if you were walking. Twilight is my favourite time of night. The sun setting on the hills, the sky turning indigo with the trees black against it, the moon, oh the moon, turning the ground into a light show, the Christmas lights on our outdoor tree... Sigh.

It looks like we will be able to use our snowshoes (thank you Gallagher/Truters) soon. We now have over a foot of snow outside. Did you hear me???? A foot of snow and more on the way. We are arranging to have someone come clear the driveway as we can't do it all the time. Age does limit you sometimes.

Visitors came to help Bill and I shovel the driveway. Puppies is only a couple of years old and very active; Sadie is only 10 but she has arthritis and is a tad overweight. (Sounds very familiar) Sadie is the Alpha girl though. They will start looking for Jody and we are one of their stops. Puppies waited patiently for Sadie to walk back home with her but she finally left on her own full of energy. Sadie went to the front of the van and just sat there till we opened the back and lifted her in. I thought she would curl up in the back but no she moved right to the single back seat and sat there proud as punch. Bill drove her home as commanded.

Shopping for presents has presented many difficulties here at Deka. I've learned that if possible it will serve me better to take the bus to Vancouver, spend some quality time with Coral and do some early shopping in October. It's an excuse to go to Coral's, yes, but will help me a lot. Or, (and?) go to Kamloops to shop. I will not do online shopping again. So many things are available but only in certain sizes or they don't ship to Canada or if they do....$$$$$....some things you learn quickly. But I am done and am sitting here waiting for everything to arrive. It will come, right?

Bill is gamely building the frame and door for the bathroom; when you don't buy the pre-hung you have your work cut out for you. Time consuming but very satisfying; right, Bill? Gary our neighbour is going to help us with the bathtub taps/fittings this Sunday. Bathtub, bathtub, bathtub!!! Yay.

Still snowing, snowing, snowing....

Minestrone.

Loved the Dark Knight. Finally Batman the way I remembered the dark comic book character. And the very best Joker so far.

Today was Cameron day. We went for a wonderful walk with Cameron.

It was the perfect day for a walk in the afternoon. We had Cameron for a visit after taking Kayla to work; lunch at the Interlakes listening to trappers ramble on and then we went for a walk up hill and down dale in the adjacent Crown Lands. My sound effects kept Cameron and Bill laughing during the walk. Whoops, Eeek, Aaaah, I don't think I know how to spell some of the sounds coming from me. I always seemed to go through the snow into small bogs and slide over hidden logs and trip over roots. It was always with a laugh but it was not quite the sounds you would expect on the crispest of snow.

The light was again phenomenal, absolutely moors moody. The snow was soft powder and untrodden. I think Cameron was just along for the "ride" but he put on a brave face. His love is XBox and walking in the snow with his grandparents amused him for a short while. He's grown into such a lovely young boy. We haven't seen much of him since we arrived so this was a very special day for us.

We're waiting for the grader to make it out to King Road. We are the last on his map and you just have to sit and wait. It's still possible to get out so that's not a worry; it's just a little easier with the road graded. Snowmobiles have been down a couple of times (kids) and are always disappointed that the end of the cul de sac does not have a wide access to Crown land. Yay! Snowmobiles and ATVs are the terror of the lakes country.

Pork chops, apples, onions, parsnips and potato. And Gosford Park for the evening's movie.

Went to bed with a skiff of snow on the ground...woke up to about 10 inches and it turned to ice pellets and freezing rain. Holy Hannah! At least it will save on the white spray paint I was going to need for Jennifer's visit. She will have her White Christmas, that is, if we can get into 100 Mile to pick her up. Not to worry Jen, there is a local dog sled available.

Current conditions

I'm listening to Christmas music on Live 365 (highly recommended internet radio!!) and enjoying the relaxing day. Bother the drywall we say. Jody and Sandi have plans to go to Kamloops to shop for Christmas but the weather looks just so dicey. Freezing rain all afternoon and night. If they do, it's transporting Kayla to work and having Cameron (permanently attached to XBox360) over until the late evening. We're looking forward to that but I'm not so sure about the games he plays. Maybe if I squint really hard and wear ear plugs? What am I saying...I'll probably be right in there shooting the aliens.

Check the new Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer??? How cool is that? I opened it yesterday and am just looking at it all day. Is it not gorgeous? Isn't it? Isn't it? I cannot wait until I use it. There may be Love Buns this year!

What is it about Christmas music? It must be the feeling of being a child again. Anticipation of Santa, Christmas pageants, songs, hard candy that stuck together, pie, that horrible cottage cheese jello mold Grandma made, Japanese oranges that came in a wooden crate, cousins, Uncles, Aunts, Grandparents, dressing up, nuts, Candlelight service, choirs....all that good stuff except the jello mold.

Tuna melts tonight? Slaw with it? Ah, food. Oh, yes, maybe some wine in bumblebee glasses. Someone drank the whiskey.

Do I feel smart. I've figured out (sort of) how to make the links hot on my blog. I still don't quite have the actual insert right but I'll get there.

It's been very cold for Bill and I (-13 overnight) so our little Coast van is plugged in every night and we are adding to the fire throughout the night. Snow is to come tonight and then freezing rain this Friday.

Yesterday was town day. The drive in was again beautiful as the world was frosted. We went by the way of Lone Butte to pick up my Chapters books (the post office is in Lone Butte for the Deka Lake people) and then into town. My absolutely, splendiferous Kitchen Aid Ultra Stand Mixer in sexy black was in at Sears!! Today I'm unpacking it and just going to look at it for a while. This means so much to me as I love to bake/cook but mixing bowls and I do not work well together since I hurt my left hand at work. (Yes, Library work can be dangerous; it's embarrassing that your injury is referred to as "washerwoman's syndrome"!). Coral's family and two friends gave me a gift certificate for Sears (my favourite store now) and this is what I bought. Such a wonderful piece of equipment. Jam-Jams will be made this Christmas and Love Buns (look that up).

Christmas shopping is a little more challenging for me this year. Number one we don't have the choices in 100 Mile and Number two...what money? I spent most of my time asking store owners if someone sold Emu boots. That went over like a lead balloon. They have Bearpaw boots; you know, actual boots you can walk in snow, ice, etc. 100 Mile has some nice stores but just not the choice. It will take just a little more thinking. Liquor is always nice.

Our floor was delivered on Tuesday. We were expecting large young men driving a hi-ab but nope. Roy, around 70, with dog came with a trailer load and he unloaded 1300 sf of floor, handing it through the bedroom window then through the living room window. Bill then placed the lengths on two walls. I played with "turkey" the dog who has not quite picked up the concept of chasing stick then letting go of stick. And it was freezing! Sunny but soooo cold. We got it all in, though. Bill figures we're the only people building a house ass backwards. But James has been holding the floor for a few months and it really needs to acclimatize in the house. And I like to have things paid for. Our next big money item is the siding which we hope will be in the early Spring. We're saving putting the siding up until Dan can join us. We'd hate for him to be left out of the process. He needs to bring up another tea bag as Cuddles has eaten the other one.

This morning just looks frozen out there. A good morning to play with new toys and add a few pics to the blog now that I have half an idea as to what to do. I do miss my ITS group. It was much easier to yell at Alan for help or phone John in tears. Now I have to do it myself as Bill seems to be busy with other things...building, taps, book 2 of the Jack Strong trilogy, ya, ya.

We've learned a new word "prorogue" this week. A word we all could do without knowing the meaning, I'm sure.

Movie of the day: Pete Seeger, the Power of Song
It is such an exhilarating statement on how to live your life within a community. His wife, Toshi, is my hero. I had seen it a few months ago but Bill had only seen bits of it. A good compromise movie for us. Although, he did agree on the rental of Martin Scorsese's Stones Shine a light. Looking forward to watching this. Bill's not a fan of all their music but he's interested in seeing how this group functions (can you use that word with the Stones?). We shall see.

Open present, have lunch, scrape wall, fill any problems, move on to side seems, go for daily walk.....hasta.

Some new pictures for everyone to look at. Enjoy.

December 1! Twenty days until Jen arrives and we celebrate our first Christmas at Deka Lake.

It's been a few days of unusual weather here. Cold and snowy then the last day has been melting weather; now it's cold again and looks like it's here to stay for a few weeks. Brrrr. The minimum over the next two nights is minus, yes minus, 13! Time to plug the car in.

I've done some more mudding and the pantry is coming along. I have no idea if it's correct but after reading far too many versions on how to do it (including the cynical "Hire a professional"), I chose one and am sticking to it. It's not perfect but Bill seems happy with it. My learning curve has taught me that the absolute right equipment is important. You can't go cheap as it will show and you'll be cranky. I would like to go to sleep one night not thinking of it, though.

As the weather has been low so have I. I am affected by severe changes in weather so I'm sure that is part of it, plus suddenly realizing that this is it! At midnight last night it just hit me---left my work, my friends, my daughter, my home---a sudden revelation. I absolutely love it up here but I need to grieve a little bit I think; there was so much happening when we first arrived I didn't quite grasp the importance of what I had just done. The house was overwhelming me too...it will be a long journey. Humans are so curious.

We have a feral cat tip tap toeing around the place at night so I decided some of Digger's treats should be left for the cold pussycat. That will help him warm up. When we were on a walk yesterday, we saw the prints of a Grey Fox (I looked them up); also, the sounds of gunfire were in the air as the locals were practicing at the nearby shooting "range". Not a sound I'm used to but it goes with the territory.

So, how about Cauliflower, Potato and Pea Curry? Then a movie later?

Movie suggestion: The Savages with Laura Linney, Philip Seymour Hoffman. It was wonderful; great writing and acting. It isn't often Bill and I agree on a movie choice but this one worked well.

Pictures of our walk

Sleigh bells ring...a wonderful snowy day. That's because I'm inside and if I had to go for a drive I actually have studded snow tires and chains. Hah!

On Wednesday and overnighting we went to the metropolis, Kamloops, for a day of shopping till we dropped. The best part of the afternoon was 2 hours in Chapters! What a great time we had. The Library Board (bless their hearts) had given me $200 gift certificate at Chapters so Bill and I had some fun. The day was very dark and felt like it was -30 but 'parently it wasn't. There was no snow yet the air was very damp, like fog. Besides Chapters we went to Home Depot, Rona, London Drugs (I love LD, thank you Mr. Louie) did I mention Chapters?, Wal-Mart (sorry Sio). And then supper at the one and only Boston Pizza! The motel was cheap and very clean with a tv that had 50 channels and nothing on. Nothing changed. The next morning it was bright and cool so we needed to visit VV and a hardwood store to learn that we cannot afford Mahogany for the bathroom counter. The last time we bought mahogany was for a table Bill made for Brent's boat the Sid Sirocco (what a joy it was making that); seems the price has gone up. Back to cedar.

The drive over #24 was interesting going in as it had snowed enough to have the sand and salt trucks out. 24 reaches over 4,000 feet and the run down is serpentine; the return drive is slow and easy especially with two solid pine doors on top. Thankfully, only a few logging trucks were on it Tuesday morning so we could go at our own pace. Once on the 5 it was fine. The scenery along the 5 is so varied and heartbreaking as it goes through Barriere/McLure. Barriere is back up and running but it is so hard to look at the hills; still blackened from the fire 3 years ago. Once down beside the Thompson and into the valleys the vista changes to large farms and ranches. It's a beautiful drive.

I'm listening to Radio 365 which must have a trillion stations within every genre you can think of. Right now I'm listening to "Oldies and Blues".

We are going for a walk in the snow.....

The world is soft and white once again. We spent the day in 100 Mile with the wind whipping around us and it was very cold but brilliantly sunshine.

After an hour at home it became very windy and extremely dark. Then.....everything was white; the air was actually white. We were planning a big trip to Kamloops but maybe that will wait. And I was sooo looking forward to Value Village.

Picked up my hold at the Library (love my library)...the new Peter Robinson--great! And two pretty cookbooks. Bill chose some more dvds; it's very hard to choose dvds when your tastes are so different. We stick to the old ones; last week it was John Ford movies.

We are now parking in the actual driveway as the gumbo has frozen and are using the front door (located at the back, work with me) and the entry way. Bill cleaned out the entry way so that all the boots are now arranged by the door and not in the kitchen. Our faucet for the bathtub arrived today so we drove into the metropolis called Lone Butte and picked it up. We ordered it online through Amazon...go figure. It was an excellent price! We had the darndest time finding one here that didn't cost as much as the tub itself.

Jen called today from the "Mall". She was Christmas shopping; it's so weird to talk to someone on the phone and they're asking " Do you think X would like this for Christmas?". Although, she picked up one of my grandchildren's present for me. That saves so much time!

I've found a great online radio station site with a wonderful choice of genres. Now I'm listening to the Jazz station: Evening Melancholy. CBC can finally drive you to this. I love CBC but darn it, sometimes you just have to stop talking and play some good music.

Spaghetti sauce is bubbling away, fire is nicely banked, Phil Woods is playing, zzzzzz.

It looks like blogger.com will be accepting this blog soon. I didn't see the usual warning until I signed in. Yay!

A lazy Monday morning; at least I'm lazy. Bill is out stacking the wood and thinking of lunch. I on the other hand have just finished breakfast and got dressed. The house is also clean; we go to the Deka Lake Mall after Bill's lunch to dump all the leftover drywall. One more pile out of the yard. The other piles are organic and can be burned this spring or this winter if the snow doesn't want to fall. That's all that people are talking about...no snow. And as I've said in my facebook, I'll be spraypainting the place for Jen if it doesn't snow.

Jen will be coming December 21 on the 1:30 am bus! Who drives a bus at that hour? We cannot wait to see her.

We had our first Sunday dinner with J1 and family. It was a little later than expected as I'm not too sure about using the oven at over 3,000 feet. The chickens took a little longer than they should have but there was wine. K sang one of her songs which was of course emotional and of course, I cried. Her singing is delightful. It was the first time we had any "quality" time with C and he is such a great little 10 year old (almost 11!). J1 was 10 when we moved to Ireland 25 years ago. He was such a brave old soul our J1.

Time to throw another log on the fire, check the soup and generally enjoy life.

Still working on photos. It sounded easy but obviously I need to read everything again.

Today was the first day that I could not remember what day it was. I had to ask. For a few moments it was very unsettling. I don't wear a watch any more so my time has to do with events now not the SCHEDULE...not that I had that down pat anyway.

I'm still learning how to use the blog; I don't know how to add pictures except on the main screen; as soon as I've figured it out I'll be posting like mad. I'd like this to be a history of our home; so many people contributed to the building of it.

The wind is quite high today and that makes it a bit more brisk than usual. There was a skiff of snow on the ground this morning and it was very frozen. The temperature was about 0 but with the wind just a mite colder. Terry the Trapper (yes) taught me a lot about trapping the other day over coffee at the Interlakes store. I never had thought that the warm weather would slow the changes in the animal's coats...never had to. It was very interesting information especially about the markets and who buys, etc. Just another world in the Cariboo. He's a delightful man; grew up in New West and White Rock about the same time as Bill so they were reminiscing about orchards and being young boys in White Rock. His wife is the queen of jams, jellies and relishes so I need to meet her.

We dawdled about in the morning; as we are camping more or less, it takes a little longer to have breakfast, do the dishes, bring in wood, light the fire, clean up, and when you don't want to drywall it takes even longer. Bill just rolls his eyes. If I knew what I was doing I'd probably dive right in. As it is....but I have the second coat on the corners and tomorrow I scrape then add another coat. Thank goodness the pantry has many shelves.

We have wonderful lights at the kitchen and back doors! They were a good choice for design; the electrician was admiring them. I was worried they might be just a bit flash for here but they will look good especially when the siding is on (channel lock pine). Bill attached them to two beautiful pieces of cedar. J1 can now come to the kitchen door without muttering about the dark. Although, those tree roots just grab you, light or no light. Ents?

K and three million of her girlfriends are off to Twilight this evening. It's rare to have a film in 100 mile on the actual day of release but the owners probably figured they'd make the money immediately so could risk the price.

Picked up a door jamb today as the daughter is going to need a door on the bathroom when she visits.

Wind in the treetops, tea, wood fire.....

Today we drove through the Horse Lake valley into 100 Mile. The land and trees were covered in frost. It looked like someone had shaken icing sugar over the whole area. What a beautiful sight! Clear blue cold sky.

Starry, starry night.

This evening I took Kayla home and the sky was brilliant. The Big Dipper was amazingly beautiful with Venus low on the horizon. It takes a little experience to drive at night here as there is one streetlight between us and the Interlakes (about 15 minutes drive). Very, very dark on the road and then you look up and it's glowing. Sometimes it's very unsettling. There was a startled deer on the side of the road, long ears and "deer in the headlights" eyes.

I have completed the taping of 4 corners in the Pantry! By the 4th one it started to look pretty good. There are still many more coats to put on but I'm feeling less stressed. My first inclination was to do a terrible job and Bill then would call in the professionals. Not a choice, it seems.

Tomorrow is 100 Mile day: Library, Chartreuse Moose , Lumber stores, groceries, laundry, just a good time had by all. The day is supposed to be cold and bright. The drive in is so beautiful through the valley, I can't wait.

My zen garden looks very Cariboo; a little snow will set it up just right. And our lighted tree is a beacon on the road. When you come over the rise from Jody's place you can see it sparkling.

Bliss.

This morning we cleaned the property out front as much as we could. The drywall leftovers will have to wait until we have Jody's truck. Not to worry. My little pine has Christmas decorations on him and I moved the Lantern beside him so he wasn't lonely. It's very zen...except for the water spout but that's the water element.

It's dull and rainy but very fresh. The wind is soft but there is this waiting that seems to be happening. Hmmmm.

John the Butcher is now an acquaintance. Always good to get to know your butcher. He makes these killer Apple Pork Sausages. My mouth waters thinking of them. There is a variety of tastes. I mean to try every one of them. Unfortunately, his fresh turkeys cost about what I spend on a whole dinner. But his sausages will come in handy for stuffing. Mmmmm.

Quiet Sunday. Paper, book, fire, tea.

Today I fix my mudding mistakes. At least what J1 says are my mistakes. I've learned that I do not take to direct supervising. When you're used to giving direction it takes a while to politely receive direction, especially from your son. Stuff you learn when retired.

Snow falling on aspens. That was what we woke up to this morning.

It seems that mudding isn't going to be my second career. It isn't going as well as I would like it to but it seems sanding can save me. After the second coat of mud on the drywall screws J1 came by to let me know I was doing it wrong. Although I was doing it "by the book" there are many other ways with less sanding. Maybe there are. Sigh.

The time here is bliss (minus the mudding). I love to look out the window and see Aspen and Spruce and even that pesky squirrel that Dan named Cuddles. It's early evening and the tall evergreens are swaying with the wind. When you are outside you can hear the wind coming through the trees and you stand and wait for the wind to arrive. It is such a beautiful sound.

All is silent except for the clicking of a hot woodstove. I do feel blessed.

Hello from Deka Lake.

Bill and I have been working very hard trying to find some peace in the chaos of building a home over the last 10 days. It's like camping but warm and dry. We now have the ultimate---a flush toilet although the Johnny Depp will be with us forever as the power does tend to go out up here in the winter. No power--no pump. Bill also rigged up a temp (at least he says it's temp) kitchen counter and we added our new sink and taps. The tub will come shortly. The place actually looks like a few of the houses we lived in during the 70s.

At this moment the moon is on full and peaking through the trees into the living room. A more than magical evening. This time of evening is my favourite; the trees are black against an indigo sky.

Snow was here for a very short while and I have to say I did like it. Although, it may be a different story in February. We shall see. What is especially nice about snow is that it covers all the building leftovers that we haven't had time to move to the Landfill (aka the Deka Lake Mall). Recycling isn't done here and I'm checking at 100 Mile House to see what I can do. As we go in once a week it seems the right thing to do.

Oh, look, it's 5pm and the Whiskey be calling. Tomorrow we shall see how my first mudding went. There may be a lot of scraping before the second coat. Bother.